It doesn’t even matter if it rains as it’s undercover
Anna and Joshua Huggard playing on the beach at Planters Brookfields Garden Centre
Families are flocking to a Nottinghamshire garden centre which has opened a beach to entertain the kids during the school holidays.
Now the bedding plants’ season is virtually over, there’s plenty of space for eight tonnes of sand between the geraniums and petunias and the restaurant at Planters Brookfields in Mapperley.
Within minutes of the garden centre opening its doors, the first children were playing on the beach, which comes with buckets and spades, inflatable balls and other toys to play with.
The beach is busy, come rain or shine, with no chance of getting soaked or sunburnt, since the attraction is undercover at Planters, in Mapperley Plains.
Jenna Pasik, had taken along three-year-old Esmae, with Bella, 11, and Paris, 13, specifically for the beach.
The Calverton mum said: “I think it’s a very good idea. It keeps the kids busy. There’s not much to do around here.”
The beach at Planters Brookfields Garden Centre
Jonno Huggard had brought his children Anna, five, and Joshua, three, from their home in Calverton.
He said: “The children absolutely love it. They’ve got new toys this year. The kids love building sandcastles.
“It’s just a great place to come and hang out and with the coffee shop here as well, it’s really good for the parents to come and sit and let them play and be creative while we have a drink.”
Janice Lappin, catering manager, said: “It’s definitely brought more trade to us. It’s handy for the community to come, the dads and the grandmas, they all bring the little ones and it gets really busy. We’re actually thinking of putting more benches out there.
Esmae Pasik, three, with sisters Bella, 11, and Paris, 13
“We’ve done it for the last two years. The idea behind it was those who can’t get to the seaside in the holidays, it’s an attraction for them. The little ones are straight in there.
“It’s all free and they can stay as long as they want and the parents can get involved. Last year because it was really popular we let it run until the beginning of October.
“Ideally we like to pack it away after the holidays but because of the weather last year we let it run a bit longer. Even though the kids have gone back to school, you’ve still got the little ones that will benefit from it.”
While the garden centre sands don’t have a paddling pool like Nottingham Beach — a step too far, said Janice — there are seaside treats including ice cream and slushies on sale in the restaurant.
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